Magne was at the National Archives in Oslo yesterday, to seal the final box in the time capsule project Til Ungdommen (see earlier news stories here and here).

Magne’s sculpture consists of 30 layers of aluminum on top of each other, made to resemble archival boxes. They contain letters from students all over Norway, who have shared their thoughts about the events of 22 July and about Norway today and in the future.

The sculpture also features a lot of words that students have punched into the aluminum plates.

“One thing I really liked about this project, was that it wasn’t my own project. It was a project that I could help facilitate, but was basically driven forward and completed by the students themselves”, Magne told Aftenposten.

Morten has been interviewed by German magazine Jolie, in connection with his current single “I’m The One”.

The interviewer says she gets the impression this is something more than a simple love song:

“That’s true, and I like the contrasts in it: a playful melody with more serious lyrics. The song is about finding out who you are and that it’s OK to make mistakes in life. A human is a complex being and has to make compromises when interacting with other people. But only if you are honest with yourself and take conscious decisions”, Morten says.

– The main character in the music video for “I’m The One” is a drag queen – what do you want to tell us?

“She – or he – is an extreme example of this very message. It’s only when you know who you are, that you’re able to say “yes” or “no” to other people or things with a clean conscience.”

Although Morten recently said that he wouldn’t try to distance himself too much from the synth pop sound on his next album, he does say that it will be different:

“I’m already working on a new album, which will sound different from Out Of My Hands, which was a somewhat transitional album between a-ha and my solo stuff. It’s an exciting development, and I can’t wait to present the new songs.”

Morten is also asked what Christmas is like at his home:

“Very traditional. I have a big, old house with lots to do. I decorate, I bake cookies, all the usual stuff.”

– You bake them yourself?

“Of course! It’s important to take part in all the preparations and not just be served.”

The whole interview is available at jolie.de. “I’m The One” was released three weeks ago, but has failed to enter the German top 100 singles chart.

An exhibition of a-ha photos taken by Stian Andersen will be held at the Strand Gallery in London from 28 February – 17 March 2013.

The exhibition, which is sponsored by the Norwegian Embassy, will include a larger collection of photos than what could recently be seen at Stolper + Friends in Oslo.

There will be an opening party on 27 February, with Andersen present.

“Andersen went to the UK and London five times (to different venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, O2 Arena, Heaven and Wembley Arena) to capture six UK a-ha concerts. In this collection – brought to the UK for the first time and based on Andersen’s book a-ha Photographs 1994-2010 – see loyal fans clutching banners, arenas packed with chanting fans and the band performing in the spotlight”, the gallery said in a press release.

The same exhibition will later be shown in Tokyo, Japan, in October 2013.

Magne was at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Oslo yesterday, as Apparatjik hosted a very different Christmas concert entitled apparatjik xmess extravaganza: santa bells bob.

Based on the Apparatjik installation Everybody is a composer, where the movements of museum visitors were recorded and turned into music, the composition was performed by the boys choir Sølvguttene. You can see a video clip from the performance on YouTube and a gallery on Flickr (by Alyssa Nilsen).

“This is a Sølvguttene Christmas concert, done Apparatjik-style. We’re calling it a “xmess extravaganza” because we prefer big words over smaller words. They are easier to notice”, Magne told Aftenposten.

“For us this is definitely a form of extreme sport, a musical meeting between anarchy and strict order. But the kids just think this is fun. They don’t care as much about following familiar patterns as adults do, and like trying new things”, the choir’s conductor, Fredrik Otterstad, said.

As previously mentioned, two “Desembertoner” Christmas concerts will be held at Oslo Domkirke on December 21st, where Magne is one of the musicians taking part. He will be performing together with Martin Halla and Tini Flaat Mykland from The Voice.

TV2 in Norway has now announced that it will broadcast a 1-hour version of the concert the following day, on December 22nd at 22:10. It will also be repeated on December 29th at 12:45.

In an interview with focus.de before the show, Morten says that he’d rather just focus on the next album:

“I’m in a strange situation. I just released a new single, but my heart and thoughts are with my next album, which I’m currently recording. When you release something, you have an obligation to stay in the consciousness of the audience and the media. Which contradicts my obligation towards my own honesty and creativity. Something tells me that I shouldn’t be doing any promo. At the moment, my heart is not in it. Out Of My Hands is like an old wife. I don’t want to meet her, because I’m in love with what’s happening now. This is my dilemma.”

He is also asked if he’ll try to distance himself a bit more from the synth-heavy a-ha sound on the next album:

“No. Because in the minds of the audience, I’m so strongly connected with the band’s history.”

Magne and Tini Flaat Mykland from The Voice have been back in London this week, to do another recording session with Martin Terefe at Kensaltown Studios.

They were joined in the studio by Neil Conti (Prefab Sprout) and Glen Scott. Tini has posted a couple of pictures with Magne on Instagram: Picture 1Picture 2

She writes that it’s been a “fantastic week” and that she’ll bring “a suitcase filled with brand new songs” with her on the plane back to Norway. Tini’s debut album will hopefully be out sometime next year.

The three members of a-ha were today appointed Knights First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav for their “outstanding musical contribution”.

The invite-only ceremony was held at Gamle Logen in Oslo, and was attended by family, friends and fans.

The ceremony, which was broadcast live online, included music by a string quartet and speeches by Viggo Bondi (bassist in Bridges), Terry Slater (a-ha manager 1983-1994), Trond Giske (Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry) and Anders Flågen (representing the Royal Palace) who presented a-ha with their medals.

After receiving the medals, Morten spoke on behalf of the band. Here is a translation of his speech:
—————————

Morten speaking

“If only I could have said as my aunt Magny, when the Mayor of Kristiansand told her that uncle Bernt would be awarded the King’s Medal of Merit.

“What was that?” I heard her say, as people around her started clapping.

“Bernt is to be awarded The King’s Medal of Merit”, someone repeated to her.

“Is that so? Then it can’t be very prestigious.”

[Audience laughing]

When Paul, Magne and myself set a course for England, we had great plans. But we didn’t imagine that 30 years later, we would be here at Gamle Logen to be appointed Knights. We had to leave Norway to become a-ha. Norway is a leader on natural resources, but not on refining them. That’s true within most fields, including our own. Talents have to be refined and managed. No one can succeed on their own. You need to have the right people around you. If you don’t find them here [in Norway], you have to leave in time. And here comes my little case in point:

We have great resources in Norway, not least of the human kind. But we have to focus more on the unknown, if we want to be part of discovering the future. If not, it will just be presented to us. In Norway we have an immature view on failure. It brings with it a sense of shame. We don’t like to take risks. Risk-taking is seen as irresponsible. We need a more realistic view of what it actually takes to succeed.

If there’s one reason to honour us here today, it has to be this: We have stayed true to what we believed in. Together and on our own. Congratulations guys!”
—————————
If you missed the live broadcast, it can be seen again at VG.no.

We all know him as the keyboardist/guitarist in a-ha, as a celebrated visual artist, songwriter, film music composer, solo artist, poet, talent coach, gallerist, and as the mastermind behind Apparatjik.

Magne Furuholmen was born on 1 November 1962, which means he can celebrate his 50th birthday today.

Happy Birthday, Magne!

(You can post your own birthday greetings to him on the a-ha.com Facebook page)

Magne appeared at the annual HOPE-Gala in Dresden, Germany on Saturday night. He was there together with The Voice winner Martin Halla, who performed at the event. Money raised at the HOPE-Gala will help benefit the fight against aids in South Africa.

Martin Halla also performed at the opening of Magne’s Bouquet exhibition on Thursday, which can be seen in this video clip.

VG’s art critic Lars Elton gave the Bouquet exhibition a good review (5 out of 6) in Friday’s newspaper. “Magne Furuholmen has proven that he’s more than capable as a visual artist. This [retrospective] exhibition shows that he’s been so for a long time”, Elton writes.

“It’s particularly the woodcuts that stand out, and seeing them again now surpasses the memories of how good they are. Formats of up to three meters tall enhance the experience, but it’s the intensity of the raw expression, the use of the tree’s growth rings and the strong use of colours that have made these images stand the test of time.”

Budstikka has an interview with Magne today, in connection with his anniversary exhibition Bouquet which opens at Galleri Trafo in Asker tomorrow.

“I hope this exhibition will challenge me to leave everything behind and start on something different. It may even be something other than art. I like to challenge myself and step out of situations that are starting to become successfull”, Magne tells the newspaper.

“I have a basic scepticism to being seduced by success. That’s probably a pop-injury. Ask people what they connect with a-ha, and 90 percent will answer “Take On Me”, which I wrote as a 15-year-old. That song has become so defining, and I don’t like to be defined”.

“I’m bored silly by artists who end up being slaves of their own success, and who don’t want to visit their darker sides, where everything is chaos”, he says.

The Bouquet exhibition, which has the same title as Magne’s outdoor installation nearby, will be open from October 25th to November 25th at Galleri Trafo (slightly different dates than what was first announced).

Magne was one of the organizers of a torchlight procession in Oslo tonight, in support of a new Munch museum – or more specifically the Lambda alternative in Bjørvika.

Although Lambda won the architectural competition for a new museum, politicians in Oslo still haven’t been able to agree on which alternative to choose.

“It’s frustrating to see so little action and so much quarrelling about such an important topic as [Edvard] Munch. Lambda won the competition, that’s why it should be built in Bjørvika”, Magne told Dagbladet.

“It’s also fun to march in a torchlight procession for something, especially as this is the first time I’m taking part in one”.

Although it’s not supposed to premiere until October 26th, the music video for Morten’s new single “I’m The One” is already available on Vimeo, posted by one of the directors.

Update Oct 26th: the video was later removed, but has now officially premiered on the website of Universal Germany. You’ll notice this final version is entirely in black/white, while the version on Vimeo was in color.

Shot in Berlin earlier this month, the video was directed by Frank Hoffmann & Christopher Häring and produced by Mutter & Vater, the same production company behind the “Scared Of Heights” video.

The release of the single (digital only), which features a new single mix, has been pushed back to November 23rd. Promotion in Germany will include an appearance on TV Total Turmspringen (Pro7) on November 24th.

Magne’s massive outdoor installation Bouquet was officially unveiled in Asker yesterday, in connection with the opening of group exhibition “Kunst Rett Vest”.

“Although this is more of a cover-up than an unveiling”, Magne joked.

By using a gigantic nylon sheet, Magne has completely covered a building called Torvgården and decorated it with tulip-coloured anagrams using the letters in “Kunst Rett Vest”.

This particular building is often referred to as the Aalto Vase because of its characteristic shape – a vase which is often used for tulips.

“I used the connections to the tulip vase as a basis, which in turn inspired the title and colour pallette. And then I’ve just used the letters in “Kunst Rett Vest” and made different anagrams. I’m not the one to judge the result, but I hope it freshens up the place a bit”, Magne told Budstikka.

Update: Magne’s upcoming anniversary exhibition at Galleri Trafo will apparently also be called Bouquet, according to an update from the Magne F mailing list. The exhibition is open from October 25th – November 25th.

Morten is now going to do some sessions with Swedish producer Peter Kvint in October and November, possibly aiming for a new solo album in the fall of 2013.

“I’m seeing Peter when I’m done with the tour now. I’m going back home and we have a session set up to write more music. I’m curious, because it’s been very interesting to work with him”, Morten said last Friday, at a meet & greet with Argentinian fans backstage in Buenos Aires. There’s a 10-minute video from it here.

Morten and his band played at the Gran Rex theatre in Buenos Aires yesterday, for an enthusiastic crowd. At the end of the show, he put on an Argentinian football shirt, to much applause from the audience. “Somebody gave me this. It certainly looks better on a footballer, but there you are”, Morten said.

The main event – tonight’s free concert at Astrup Fearnley – starts at 9:00 PM and features a new cube.

“The new cube is made especially for this show. We were originally planning on positioning it above the water, but they’re expecting a spring tide, and combined with 220 volts through our instruments that wasn’t such a good idea”, Magne says in an interview with Dagsavisen today.

Guy Berryman once again seems to be busy with Coldplay, so he’s not taking part.

Magne, along with Jonas Bjerre and Martin Terefe, attended the official opening of the new Astrup Fearnley museum in Oslo today. There’s a photo gallery from the event at vg.no.

Afterwards, they were guests on the radio programme Kulturnytt on NRK P2, to talk about their first impressions of the museum and the upcoming Apparatjik performance there on Saturday.

Magne was asked how the Apparatjik concept will fit in at the Astrup Fearnley museum:

“I don’t think it fits at all, because we’ve made it a specialty to fall between two stools. Most people in the art world think we’re way too pop-oriented. And those expecting to hear pop music think we’re too arty. So we have ended up somewhere in between, where we don’t manage to connect with anyone. But we do create music that we like, and the songs are quite structured. We’re not attempting to create very inaccessible stuff. We just don’t want to do things the way we’ve used to in our main projects.

We were shocked when we entered the stage at Roskilde this summer and looked out on an audience of 40.000 – 50.000 people, who stood with their jaws dropped for the first 15 minutes and then ended up jumping up and down to music they had never heard before. It was very exciting. I had never entered the stage before, without having at least a few hits to get the audience going. So it was incredibly fun. I think people with a certain sense of humour will feel this is something they should witness. And it takes place on Saturday at 9:00 PM”, Magne said.

“It’s important to stress that this is not a concert for the elite, but a free concert for the people of Oslo – and anyone who comes from out of town. We’re going to create a lot of noise, so this is not a part of those posh opening ceremonies”, he added.

Tonight, Apparatjik and Lowell did a “secret” warm-up show at DogA – the Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture in Oslo. A few pictures were posted on Instagram by Monika and Tini from The Voice.

Be also sure to check out a couple of new videos from the Roskilde concert on Vimeo, here and here.

Magne doing tests in connection with his outdoor installation
(Picture from LiveIn Asker)

Magne is currently preparing a new solo exhibition, to be held at Galleri Trafo in Asker from 27. October – 18. November.

Local magazine LiveIn Asker has an interview with him in its fall 2012 edition, where he talks about the plans:

“- This will be a kind of anniversary exhibition. In connection with my 50th birthday in November, Galleri Trafo and the house owner asked me if I would be interested in doing something to mark the occasion. I said I would. I have kept artworks from many different periods of my career as a visual artist, and I want to show a mix of old and new. These works haven’t been exhibited together before, so it will also give me a chance to see the works side by side for the first time and thereby get a look at any artistic development. Retrospectiveness is not something I have done too often.”

In addition to the exhibition, Magne is also planning an outdoor installation called Bouquet, the magazine can reveal:

“During the opening of [art festival] Kunst Rett Vest [on October 9th], Magne Furuholmen will do something no one else has done before. By using a gigantic nylon sheet, he is going to create an artwork on one of Asker’s most spectacular buildings. Torvgården will light up in artistic letters. The building will literally be wrapped up in Magne’s art. He’s not yet sure how it will look, but the renowned artist can promise a sight that people will remember.”

“- This is a temporary artwork that will put its mark on the whole area during a limited period of time – in the way graffiti and street art can do, albeit in a more legal and controlled form”, Magne says.

In an interview with Dagbladet today, Morten says he’s not sure how he’ll be received as a solo artist in Brazil:

Ipanema, Rio
(Picture from Dagbladet)

“I’m not sure. This is a kind of test project. If it works out, we’ll need to try and build up a platform here, invest more time and work more seriously than we did with a-ha. We came, shot from the hip, and left. I can see a great potential here, because Brazilians are interested in the music I stand for.”

Morten, who says that he would be interested in taking part in “Rock in Rio” in September 2013, doesn’t hide the fact that touring can be a lonely lifestyle:

“But it’s easier and less lonely to tour on my own and with my own band than it was with a-ha. I have more contact with my band now than when I toured with Magne and Paul. I also feel more free. I can speak out on issues that I care about. I couldn’t do that when I was part of a-ha”, Morten claims in the interview.

During Saturday’s Q & A session, a fan wanted to know what Paul is up to these days.

Catherine from a-ha.com said:

“I actually have some information from Paul. He is really excited to be getting prepared to release some music very soon. He asked me to pass along his thanks to all of you for your interest in his projects. And I told him that we get a lot of questions on the website about what Paul is doing, and he was excited and glad to hear that. Very soon you’ll hear more, and he’s looking forward to connecting with you more online.”

Harald Wiik added:

“He is doing really well, and he’s written a lot of new music. I think he’s got probably a couple of albums worth of songs. Of which I’ve heard around 7 or 8, but they’re really, really good, so I hope you get to hear them soon.”

Another fan followed up on this, asking if this new material is in connection with Weathervane or Savoy.

“The plans are not that concrete, so I can’t really speak on behalf of Paul. But I don’t think it’s Weathervane. It may be Savoy. It may also be…there’s a female singer that has recorded a lot of Paul’s songs, that may be released. And maybe he’ll write a song for Morten, who knows…”, Wiik said.

During the Q & A session at Sentrum Scene on Saturday, manager Harald Wiik was asked when we might expect Morten to release another solo album:

“Basically, what we’re doing is to finish this tour now, with the South American dates. And when we’re back, basically sit down and talk about it. I know Morten wants to do an album in 2013. He has also started writing, among others with Peter Kvint – who worked on the Out Of My Hands album. So they’re gonna do a session in October, and then we’re going to Stockholm in November to do some more work with him. And then we’ll take it from there. It’s hard to say really, but possibly in September/October next year”, Wiik told the audience.